Uyghur Group Wins Appeal, UK to Reconsider Probe into Xinjiang Cotton

A London court has ordered British authorities to reconsider whether to launch a criminal investigation into imports of cotton allegedly produced by forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region, Arab News reported today.

The Court of Appeal overturned a previous decision, stating that the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) must re-examine the matter.

The case was brought forward by the World Uyghur Congress, an exiled Uyghur rights group. Last year, a judge had acknowledged “clear and undisputed evidence” of cotton being manufactured using detained and forced labor in Xinjiang. However, the NCA had initially declined to investigate, citing lack of a direct link between criminality and a specific product.

The court’s latest verdict has been hailed as a “monumental victory” by the World Uyghur Congress, representing “a measure of justice” for those subjected to alleged forced labor practices in Xinjiang.